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69th Spielwarenmesse asserts its leading global position: Climb in international exhibitors and visitors

High-quality specialist retailers from 129 countries

Optimistic start to year 2018

The proportion of international participants at the Spielwarenmesse continues to grow: From 31 January to 4 February, 2,902 companies from 68 countries, up from 63 in 2017, came to Nuremberg’s Exhibition Centre to show their products to retailers and buyers from all over the world. Travelling to the city of toys from a record number of countries, 71,000 trade visitors praised the exhibitors’ innovative spirit and energy. Organiser Spielwarenmesse eG welcomed attendees from 129 nations and offered not only trends and innovations but also a carefully crafted supporting programme.

63 percent of visitors flocked to the fair from abroad, with Asia, Eastern Europe and South America posting the highest growth rates. Even though the duration of the Spielwarenmesse has been cut by a day, the amount of time spent at the fair remained unchanged, with international attendees setting aside an average of 2.8 days for their visit. The event attracts high-quality visitors, with 86 percent having decision-making powers. One of them, Stephen Watson, Category Buyer Toys for Myer, an Australian department store chain, comments: “It's a long way from Australia, so it's good to see everything all in one spot. There aren’t this many people at any other trade fair, there aren’t this many suppliers in one spot or ideas in one spot.” The most important reason for visitors to attend the Spielwarenmesse is to find new products, followed by the need to forge new business contacts and gain a general overview of the market. 83 percent of visitors intend to return next year.

The exhibitors responded in a similarly positive fashion. “We’re really happy with both the organisation and the visitor turnout,” states Aydın Özdemir, General Manager of Turkish manufacturer Selay Toys. Thomas Eichhorn, Board Director Zapf Creation, likewise sang the praises of the industry’s most important event: “Only the Spielwarenmesse gives us the opportunity to meet and talk at length to our international partners and distributors and to set our strategic course early on in the year. We thought the mood and atmosphere were particularly good at this year’s fair.” Richard Dickson shares this view. For Mattel‘s President and Chief Operating Officer the 69th Spielwarenmesse has a special pull: “Energy, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit is what I get when I come to Nuremberg.”

The supporting programme met with an extremely positive response from the trade. Tech2Play, the activity area for electronic toys, and the Special Area for Baby & Infant Articles were once again a resounding success, generating plenty of positive interest. The special show Toys meet Books celebrated its debut and was well received by the booksellers it was targeting. The presentations and daily guided tours met with widespread approval, as was confirmed by Managing Director Christian Schäfer of DeCoSeo, which was one of the stops on the tour: “Our stand attracted plenty of very interested and focused trade buyers.”

Having undergone a recent facelift, the TrendGallery in Hall 3A provided retailers and buyers with plenty of inspiration. Besides the three Spielwarenmesse trends – “Explore Nature”, “Just for Fun” and “Team Spirit” – it also showcased the nominees and winners of the ToyAwards. The jury selected the winners in four categories from a total of 643 entries, up from 635 in 2017. Kevin Choi, Chairman of Silverlit, which clinched the top spot for its “Robo Chameleon”, believes the Award has great value, commenting: “Winning the ToyAward is recognition for our company. Having this award is a big encouragement for our team to go into the future.”

The next Spielwarenmesse takes place from 30 January to 3 February 2019 and will see some changes to certain areas. The model railway and model construction segments, for example, will be brought together in Hall 7A, a decision welcomed, among others, by Managing Director Dr. Rainer Noch: “The products are related and our target groups are almost identical – this is why it makes perfect sense to group them both together in one hall.” A new product group for electronic toys will be created in Hall 4A. What began a year ago with the Tech2Play activity area, is gaining ever more momentum: The new product group will embrace themes such as RC vehicles, drones and robots, as well as multimedia. The product group Festive Articles, Carnival, Fireworks will also undergo considerable change and will be extended into part of Hall 8. In addition, a large activity area will enhance the appeal of this expansion still further. Commenting on the changes, Ernst Kick, CEO of Spielwarenmesse eG, states: “We will continue to develop the content of the Spielwarenmesse in this way, creating hall capacity for those product segments that are in high demand.”

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4 February 2018 – sw

Spielwarenmesse®Spielwarenmesse®, the leading international fair for toys, hobbies and leisure, is organised by the fair and marketing services provider Spielwarenmesse eG. The trade fair creates a comprehensive communication and ordering platform for more than 2,900 national and international manufacturers. The presentation of new products and the extensive industry overview provide a valuable pool of information for annual market orientation for 71,000 buyers and toy traders from over 125 nations. Spielwarenmesse® has also been a protected word mark in Germany since 2013.Fair dates: Spielwarenmesse®, Wednesday to Sunday, 30 Jan – 3 Feb 2019